affectionate notions
by xoVanilla-Bean
Summary: He really did care. In his own way. — orderly drabblesque minis — CloudTifa
1. affection

**affectionate** _notions_

* * *

Sometimes, she knew.

It was usually from all of the little things he did for her. For instance, she put the dirty dishes into the soapy water in the sink to let them soak after breakfast, but she had to take the kids to school.

When she got back, she noticed that the dishes were put up and the water was gone. So was his motorcycle.

It made her smile, and it made her feel like she mattered to him a little bit more than she thought.

Of course, it wasn't as if she thought he didn't care much for her. She knew he did. But it was nice to have the feelings enforced in her mind every once in a while.

He never said anything about his sporadic antics, and after thanking him the first few times, she didn't either.

Her smile grew a little bit more.

Her words still rung in his ear, and he was utilizing his ability. He was never good with words anyway, and right now, after everything that had happened to them, he finally figured out how to show his affections.

Tifa then went upstairs and made his bed.

* * *

**A/N:** YAY! First story posted that I'm actually leaving up.  
But this can't be considered a story. This is so short it's painful.

I don't know where this came from all of a sudden, but it's almost  
Easter. 8D Happy times, you guys, happy times.

I honestly have no clue what I'm doing. So any feedback would  
be like, the nectar of life. So if you review, you will totally make  
my day. **FORREALS.**


	2. glitter

**A/N:** DEDICATED TO THE AMAZING: kitsune13  
Without your awesome idea, I never would have continued with this. Hopefully it'll be a drabble collection of sorts?  
Let's just say, with an almost dubious, almost certain...MAYBE. :D  
But I hope this installment is okay.

Affectionate Notions :**ii**: _glitter_

* * *

Sometimes, Tifa would stress. Usually about the kids, Cloud, the bar, Cloud, her friends, and Cloud.

And then, she'd stress about Cloud.

Being completely honest, she didn't know why. They were a family, and he was showing affection. What more could she ask for?

She sighed and fixed herself the same drink that alcoholic had in the corner. Her adrenal glands needed a break too, even though she grimaced with each sip she took.

After the closed sign was turned, she went back to her almost emptied glass and waited. This was a tradition, waiting for him.

The door creaked and squeaked, with a bolder sound than usual. Tifa looked up to see his face heavily exhausted and his body worn. She smiled at him, but she couldn't help but take another sip when his eyes didn't glitter like they always did when she greeted him with one.

He started to walk towards her with a sluggish shadow, but she didn't feel like looking up at him. She took a sip.

Her glass almost fell home to the floorboards when his arms captured her torso. He laid his head on her shoulder with an unsure timidity, and faintly, so faintly, he said, "Thank you, Tifa."

His hand stole the glass, and he took it to the sink.

Tifa blinked once—twice—and her heart beat in time with each notch that her lips turned upward.

Cloud looked at her, eyes glittering, and he smiled slightly and shyly back.

* * *

I meant to make this completely silent but...  
It just came out that way. D:


	3. trash

a/n: This shouldn't have taken me so long to post, so I'm really sorry about the delay. D:  
I hope none of you hate me. ;~;

Affectionate Notions :**iii**: _trash_

* * *

There's always that guy. You know. The one that uses liquid courage as leverage to talk to the savior-of-Gaia-twice-and-running bartender who just happens to be an expert in karate, tae kwon do, and jujitsu.

Or he just flirts shamelessly. Or he makes an utter fool of himself and keels over on the wooden floor of Seventh Heaven from a swift kick to the gut.

But today was a bit different. A man came in with dark hair and eyes with a green hue. He sat at the bar about an hour before Cloud would arrive, and throughout that time, Tifa found they were already joking about certain uptight customers.

He was outgoing and sweet, and even though he didn't get a refill, Tifa let him sit at the bar. With Marlene and Denzel with Barret for the week, nobody was there to help her out or talk to. Plus, the customers were more stuffy than usual, and her regulars were convienently not there.

She looked up when Cloud walked through the door. They caught eyes, and she smiled a welcome.

"Listen, um..,"

Tifa looked back at the man across from her, watching as he was sliding her a napkin.

"I'd ask you for your number, but I hear you don't give it out too often."

She grinned. "Sometimes they just call the bar."

His cheeks became a peculiar shade of pink.

"Right," he rubbed the back of his head. "Well, if you need any one to talk to, I'll be happy to lend an ear."

She touched the napkin, scanning it. She looked back up to him and blinked a few times, watching his timid smile.

"Thank you," she gave him a smile that was just as timid, if not a bit undecided.

He nodded, leaving a generous tip, and walked down the aisle of tables to the door. Tifa looked back at the napkin, touched the curving lines of his name mixed with digits, and bit her lip in thought.

"Table four needs another refill, Tifa."

She started, glancing up at Cloud. He was bringing back glasses from a newly vacant table.

"Oh! I meant to..." she shook her head, silencing herself, and grabbed the tea pitcher quickly.

As she came back behind the counter, she immediately noticed the missing napkin. She scanned the floor and the length of the countertop in vain.

Cloud walked back from the back room where he started to unload some items. Tifa briefly noticed he seemed a bit more tense than usual. Must have been a rough day.

"Hey Cloud, did you see a.. um," she broke eye contact, unsure how to go about the question.

She looked back up to him and opened her mouth, only to be interrupted by an awaiting customer that took a seat at the bar.

"Can I get some service over here?"

Tifa faltered, looking at yet _another_ grumpy customer. She shook her head at Cloud and smiled.

"Never mind."

The next morning, as she was taking out the trash from the previous night, she noticed a piece of paper sticking out of one of the bags. She placed it in the plastic container in the alley, an examined it closer.

It was crumpled, it was a bit torn, and it had a familiar...

Her eyes widened in realization, but her mouth was twitching nonetheless.

She came back inside, finding Cloud tying his boot as he sat on the couch, getting ready for early deliveries. He looked up at her, eyes questioning as she took a seat by him.

"I just took the trash out," she answered.

She decided that his blush was much more fascinating when triggered by a kiss on the cheek.

* * *

I hope you guys liked it! :D


	4. glare

Affectionate Notions :**iv**: _glare_

* * *

Underneath the dark shine of midnight, she waited.

The air was brisk and cold, and Tifa found she liked it better that way. It helped to freeze the wart of the lingering nightmare stuck in her mind.

So I guess you could say it was one of those nights. The past horrors glared from the moonlight leaking through the window. She felt it's touch on her cheek, trailing down her neck, piercing into the rose petal pink across her chest. The nonrefundable gift life had given her.

She had to get away, get out, and let the sigh of the past blow away with the breezes. She just hoped that the accidental squeak on the stair didn't stir anyone's sleep.

The grass was spongy and moist, cradling her throbbing head. Soon, she would be able to go inside and let dreams of the present fill up her sleep.

An unnoticed presence made the hair on her arms come alive. She cracked open her eyes and shot out a fist, only to have it enclosed between solid calluses.

"Cloud!" Tifa breathed in relief, adrenaline slowing in her ears. "You scared me! I thought you were -" and when she realized what she _thought _was going to be sitting there, she gave a short laugh. She shook her head.

Cloud was giving her a strange look. "What are you doing out here?"

She looked down at his still-enclosed hand, and saw the glow of stars _not _reflecting off of a shirt.

"Um," she took in the vacant street. "Just restless from today. We were pretty busy."

She felt his grip slacken, and vanish. "Oh."

He grunted then, and shifted onto his back.

It was comfortably silent for a while.

"It's nice out here."

She smiled, watching his eyes droop slightly.

"Yeah." She waited a few seconds.

"I was actually about to head back inside."

His head turned toward her, a foggy stare stopping her from pushing up to her feet. He opened his mouth, but closed it slowly. His eyes seemed to widen slightly, and his head lashed straight to the view of the stars again. She noticed his adam's apple bobbed.

"I, uh.." he hesitated, and if he was sitting up, she knew he would be scratching his head.

There was a distant sound of an engine, and he let his head roll toward it.

"You were having nightmares."

She snagged some roots in the grass. "No, Cloud, I wasn't."

He sat up, brushing a hand through his aggravated spikes. He faced her, with the eerie glow of his eyes. She looked to the plates.

She felt him stand up, dusting his sweatpants free of loose dirt. Out of her periphery, she saw nervous twitching. And then she saw a hand.

She blinked twice, her gaze falling from the harsh rounded metal, toward the even harsher curves that had thick, battleworn scars etched so deep nobody could see them. She felt a ghost brush a finger at her throat.

She felt a deliberate ball of spit slide down to her stomach. She stared into the nighttime blue, not breaking away this time. Her hand found his, and he lifted her off the grass.

He opened the door to Seventh Heaven, hand still suffocating hers, and led her through the black darkness with ease. If her eyes were closed, everything would look the same.

They stopped. "Steps," he said.

She followed his lead, skipping the faulty one, and finding the crack of her open door.

She walked in, him staying in the doorway. She felt her stomach flip, the cold of her bedroom the opposite of what the breezes were from outside. She looked over her shoulder to see Cloud still there. He straightened, nodded and started to make his way down the hallway.

"Cloud." It was tracing her footsteps, forcing itself to stay for the first time.

He faced her, questioning and confusion gracing his eyebrows. She let herself wrap around him. There was no other way and no other exit.

She felt his warmth overtaking the uncanny coldness latched onto her skin, the frightening pulse calming against the walls of her veins, the safety of the cage his arms created around her.

Her tears glistened like sweat on his chest, but she didn't know. She only felt the burn like rubber on her scar.

In the morning, she couldn't remember how she got there, in her bed. Everything was just too blurry in her memory.

She wasn't sure whether to smile or frown when she saw him sleeping in a chair. It had been pulled up to her side.

But in the corner of her room, with a patch of moonlight still glowing, it was vacant.

She smiled.

* * *

author's notes -  
i hope you guys liked this. i know it was a little um, darker? and not as light as the others. but i'd love to hear from you guys, (especially you lurkers! :) and reviews make me want to add on to it.  
anyway~  
happy fourth of july everyone. :) enjoy the fireworks.


	5. soup

Affectionate Notions :**v**: _soup_

* * *

In the minds of Marlene and Denzel, Tifa was invincible. She's a greater being than everyone else just because she's her.

So it came as a shock to them when she wouldn't get out of bed.

"Cloud!"

Marlene hustled down the stairs with Denzel's arm turning blue.

Cloud looked up from his seat on the couch, boot halfway on his foot. He always took them off right after he got home. Especially following a hard day.

"What's wrong, Marlene?"

Her eyes were wide, lip almost trembling.

"It's Tifa! She's...she's..."

"Tifa?" At this, Cloud straightened.

"She doesn't feel well," Denzel extracted his arm from Marlene. He wasn't as upset, but his face gave way to worry.

Cloud looked up the stairs briefly, then back down to the kids. He ruffled Denzel's hair and crouched to be level with Marlene. He put a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry. Tifa's strong." Marlene's frown was still there.

He nodded his head up to where their rooms were. "Get dressed. I'll take you to school."

"But Tifa-"

He shook his head, "Seventh Heaven won't be open today. I'll stay here." She was skeptical.

"I promise."

--

"What time is it!"

Tifa tried and failed miserably to get out of the bed.

"Tifa, you're sick."

She was not amused. "What are you talking about Cloud? I'm fine." She tried again.

He grabbed her arm this time. She stopped and gave him a look. "Cloud..."

His look was firm.

"The kids?"

"At school."

"The bar?"

"Closed."

"Your deliveries?"

A shrug. "A day never hurt anybody."

Begrudgingly satisfied, she let herself lay down. The fever was getting to her.

"Well...I guess..."

And just like that, she fell to sleep.

--

She woke up to Cloud holding a bowl and crackers. He unnecessarily helped her to a sitting position and placed the bowl on the pillow in her lap.

She hid her sleepy face with sick-induced messy hair.

He turned toward the door. "If you need anything, let me know. I'll be in the office. I'll hear you."

He was gone, but Tifa's mouth was open and not able to say anything.

She looked down at the ABC's of her chicken noodle soup and felt an uncomfortable wave of heat. Something told her that it wasn't the fever.

--

He didn't notice the message at the bottom of her empty, soup-less bowl until he put it in the sink. He grinned to himself.

This definitely made up for that hard day.

* * *

author's notes -  
sorry for the lateness. i was trying for a weekly update, but i suck at being on time.  
thanks to all of you guys for the awesome reviews. really. they make me incredibly happy, and i hope you all enjoyed this one, too.  
**castellan**: to answer your question, the dark haired guy was just a doofus who wanted to go out with Tifa. he wasn't anyone in particular. ;)


	6. heal

Affectionate Notions :**vi**: _heal_

* * *

Once, Tifa slipped down the stairs.

As comical as this sounds, Cloud's smirk left like a snowflake in an oven when she gasped sharply and her ankle gave way.

She laughed when he propped her up and said, "It s only a sprain."

After he laid her down on the couch, he turned to grab the phone. Knowing what he was doing, she held fast on his arm.

He looked down at her raised eyebrow, a daring eyebrow. He swallowed.

Taking his other arm slowly, he placed his hand over hers and gently pulled it away. It felt like a suction cup.

And now it was glued to his hand.

"Tifa..."

She kept a stubborn look on her face that he would've backed away from had she not been handicapped to the couch. He sighed, giving in, and fetched her pain killers instead.

He made her promise to stay lying until he got back from his afternoon deliveries. He promptly turned the closed sign on the door with a sense of finality, and Tifa, though she couldn't complain, hated everything about the situation.

She woke up to weird sensations on her left ankle. She stiffened but relaxed quickly when she saw highlighted yellows. He turned his head to her and she gazed confusedly at his wide eyes. The weird sensations vanished.

She glanced at the clock to see it was wedging into midafternoon. "You're back early."

He shrugged nonchalantly. "Off day."

Forcing him to give her permission to get up, she was able to limp around. It wasn't painful but only uncomfortable. The swelling wasn't very noticeable either.

In the morning, Tifa bounced to Cloud, slight smugness criss-crossing her features. Her grin cut through his early morning fogginess.

She kicked her ankle up in front of his face. "I told you it was only a sprain."

Cloud's eyes traced over it and let his fingertips graze the smooth skin. Her leg twitched slightly.

He let a small smirk come upon his mouth as he looked back to her face. "Guess you were right."

* * *

Thanks for your reviews guys. They are always, always amazing.  
Hope you liked this one!

EDIT: To clear up any questions, Cloud healed Tifa with a potion and/or materia hence the 'weird sensations', the highlighted yellows were Cloud's hair, and he chose not to correct her at the end because...maybe he liked seeing Tifa's smugness. ;D I thought it was subtle, but maybe it just came off as confusing instead. Oh well. I like things that I have to think over. Anway, I hope this helped! :)


	7. swing

Affectionate Notions :**vii**: _swing_

Of course, Seventh Heaven can't help but get ridiculously rowdy with ruckus every once in a while.

It's a bar. Enough said.

But the fact of the matter was that whenever Tifa was in the vicinity, it never got out of control. It was mostly because of the fact that she looked mighty queenly behind that counter. None of the guys were really interested in getting their name stained in her bad graces.

Too bad Cloud had to take over.

And really, how could people go this crazy in ten minutes?

The jeers weren't too awful, most men needing to learn more stabbing comments than something related to 'chocobo.' But he wasn't sure if he liked the jeers better than the misplaced, flirty winks.

Yet, as we all know, there's always going to be a band of brothers, giving each other confidence in the realm of stupidity.

Because nobody - absolutely _nobody_ - said any sort of comments over the bar maiden's anatomical details, compassionate personality, tolerance for the miscreant who didn't know what he had, or raunchy sexual innuendos. To the new host's face.

Who, in fact, killed a mad serial killer, alien-goddess-lover, twice. Along with three of his mini-me's.

In the same lifetime.

-

Tifa huffed, storing the last of the supplies in the backroom. Who would have thought that accidentally receiving two extra shipments of essential bar goodies could make her so frustrated? Putting them up had taken so much time.

She would have made Cloud put them up, but he had looked so tired when he got home.

Plus, he couldn't spell orderly to save his life. Much less put everything to her liking.

She brushed her hands together, sighed, and pushed through the door. It was much thicker than first glance.

So shouts piercing her ears, finding a customer bleeding from a deep cut on his cheek and writhing on the floor in pain, obviously made her exhaustion levels raise with dramatic ability. And she couldn't help her eyes go wide and her mouth part.

Turning her head, she looked at the culprit. His fist was still held up, blood lathering the bruised knuckles.

"Cloud!"

He looked up, startled.

"What in the world is going on?" She walked to the injured man and kneeled down. She examined the damage.

Cloud muttered, the breath not carrying far enough.

Tifa looked up, quirking an eyebrow. He scowled just a little.

"I said I uh, punched him." He looked away. He didn't want to be in her bad graces either.

"Obviously, Cloud," she still smirked. "Will you tell me why?"

The bar had gone quiet right when Tifa came out, by the way.

Cloud breathed in deep. "He deserved it."

Tifa narrowed her eyes slightly. She didn't feel like his obscurity right now. She looked up at him.

He let his eyes wander back to her, catching the light glare. It looked like strawberry ice cream melted right underneath his eyes.

"He said...he wouldn't mind to -"

Somebody coughed in the background.

Tifa's nose twitched. "_What_."

In two point three seconds flat, the man's scrotal sac was punctured and he was out on the street.

The crowded audience watching the ordeal gave out applauses, some hooting at Cloud's solidified red face at the silent words of Tifa.

Especially the remaining members of the banded brothers, who had already forgotten the sore, nearly neutered man outside was supposed to pay their tab.

* * *

a/n: Giggles? Anybody?  
/cue/crickets/  
Yeah, I fail. I know. xD But I guess silliness came out of me instead of cuteness, unfortunately.  
Thanks for everyone's reviews. HOLY CRAP, I'm at 44! Maybe that's not a huge number, but to me it is. It symbolizes that you guys enjoy this just like me. I LOVE YOU ALL. 8DD Even you guys that stop by to just read it. I hope you enjoy it at least a little too. :)


	8. jest

a . n ///  
an update?! :)

:**viii**: _jest_

* * *

It was nearing December in Edge, but the winter season had usually been disappointing. It hadn't snowed there before, ever, and Denzel and Marlene had given up hope a long time ago.

But this year, it just had to be different. It had to be. This wouldn't be written if it wasn't.

So on the beautiful dawn of the sixteenth of December, a snowflake was pushed off the edge of a cloud. It came tumbling down with laughing liberation, a free fall of sorts.

And it landed, not on the glassy, dew-sticky, frostbitten ground, oh no. It landed on a pale, freckle-sprinkled nose.

Those scary eyes were so blue, the flake melted, drizzled down Cloud's face in two measly droplets, and crystallized into an ice streak on his cheek.

The death of the poor snowflake garnered a tug at the lips of the murderer, which led to gasping clouds, horrorstricken. They wouldn't take this, not one bit.

And so came the blizzard of revenge.

-

"It's snowing! It's snowing!"

Marlene and Denzel had taken up residence at the window, peering out in fascination. Tifa laughed at them, walking by and placing two fresh mugs of chocolate at their disposal.

She also handed one to Cloud, who was sitting on the couch watching the weather updates. He hadn't taken two steps toward Fenrir without becoming leveled with an unearthly shatter of frozen raindrops.

The day was spent in agonizing anticipation. The snow slowly decreased each hour, only adding more and more layers of delicate white fluff to the grounds. As soon as the last flake fell, however, the kids were running out the door.

They jumped into the heavy-cushioned piles, rolled around, filled their minds with mind-numbing cold.

Tifa looked on from the porch, a light sweater across her body. She smiled as she watched Marlene shove Denzel into a deep snow drift.

"It's about time we got a white Christmas," she said, a lilt to her voice. She looked over to Cloud, who was leaning against the doorjamb.

He nodded slowly, looking out across the yard. "Something new."

She walked over to the steps and sat down, placing her boot-clad feet into the snow, crunches rippling the air. Cloud followed and sat down by her.

"It's been so long," she said, grasping a handful. She looked at it a while, moving it, watching the miniscule icicles shimmer. "I can't remember the last time…" and then she stopped. She looked to Cloud.

"Actually, I take that back." There was a mischievous grin growing on her face. "Icicle Village. Now that was some snow."

Cloud watched her pat the mass into a ball, neat and compact. "I remember you, standing on that hill with your snowboard…" she tossed the ball up and down, up and down. "Acting like you owned the place."

"Not like I asked to be chosen," Cloud muttered, watching the ball.

"Hm," Tifa looked thoughtful. "I thought you volunteered."

Cloud felt the cold air around him warm, and watched her place the ball down. She reached for her gloves inside her pocket.

"In fact," she continued, "it looked like you were having a lot of fun up there." She glanced at him from the corner of her eye. "Hitting trees…trying out flips…landing on your—"

Tifa gasped.

A red circular mark was sizzling onto her right cheek, and remnants of an obliterated snowball was meshed in her dark hair.

"Cloud!"

He was looking at her, a little smile resting on his lips. "I have a feeling someone's jealous."

She quirked an eyebrow. "Of what, exactly?"

"My expertise on snowboarding," he was watching her face, his smile growing ever so slightly.

Her eyes widened, off-balance and baffled at his tiny little _joke_. Then she puffed a small laugh, and stood up. "Well maybe," she said, bending down, "you should teach me sometime."

He should have seen it coming, naturally. But he was busy with something _else._

The snowball in his face could not have felt any warmer.


	9. cope

a . n /  
8D

:**viiii**: _cope

* * *

_

Denzel placed a sullen fork down by his dinner plate.

The feast hugging the corners of it was, in fact, his favorite dish. Tifa put extra zest and zeal into her homemade tomato sauce, and was careful to drain the noodles enough to make it superfluously sticky. It was outdone, just for Denzel. But Denzel wasn't putting an effort into one finger to taste it.

Tifa gave Cloud a look. Cloud shrugged in concern.

Denzel had been like this for the past three days.

"Aren't you gonna eat your spaghetti, Denz?" Marlene asked, shoveling a wad of pasta into her mouth.

"Not hungry."

"Yes you are!" she accused. "You didn't eat lunch today!"

Denzel glared at her.

As it turned out, Marlene was stuck in the unknown as much as Cloud and Tifa were. Perceptive as she may be, Denzel had become an expert to dislodge himself from her clutches when he had the chance.

The silence pervaded as dinner ended, and before Tifa could decide to follow Denzel up to his bedroom, Cloud gently stopped her.

"I'll go."

* * *

Cloud prodded the door open into a small crack. "Can I come in?"

"No," he said, on his bed, crossing his arms.

"Well, can you tell me what's wrong?"

Denzel blushed. "…No."

Cloud released a silent sigh, opening the door more. He stepped a toe inside, then another and another until Denzel noticed what he was doing.

"Hey! I said you couldn't!"

Cloud was overbearing him in a towered stare. "Don't care."

"But – it's my room – "

Three days was enough. Denzel could only spew so many defenses that _didn't _ripen into obsolete nonsense eventually.

"You don't own this house, Denz."

He blinked, curling up more into himself on the bed. "_So_."

_"So_," Cloud took a seat near him on the cushions. "Tell me."

Denzel's arms hesitated, and he stared at his lap for a few minutes. Cloud was surprised to think, after a while of examining him, that he seemed to appear ashamed.

"I…" he paused, giving in. "There's this girl…"

The floodgates opened as soon as the words left his mouth, and Cloud immediately understood everything.

But Denzel continued, still staring at his knees. "And she's funny and easy to talk to and…pretty," he flushed again. "But all the guys like her, too, and she doesn't notice me at all, and I can't think of anything to _do_."

He pressed his forehead down, breathing out in utter defeat. Cloud reached over and placed his palm on his shoulder.

"You know what, Denzel," Cloud said in a small, small smile. "I have a story to tell you."

* * *

As Cloud padded down the steps into the bar, Tifa glanced at him in impatience. He continued to take a seat at a stool in front of her as she washed the dishes in haste, until she finally said, "Well? What happened?"

He shook his head. "He wants the leftover spaghetti. He's starving."

Tifa relaxed, beaming a grin. "Oh, _good_. He's okay."

Cloud nodded nonchalantly. "Yeah, he's fine."

Then Tifa looked at him with something suspicious. "What was it about?"

He just about evaded the question, already standing up and inching away, but then he made eye-contact with her. "He's – got a crush."

Her suspicion molded into softness and a lazy, I-should-have-known smile. "And…how were you able to persuade him into actually eating again?"

He glanced about the room, down at the bar counter, then back to her. He hesitated, but he said, "I told him I have one, too."

And all that inching he had done rewarded him. He had been talented enough to reach the landing at the top of the stairs without noticing that Tifa –

Tifa had chipped a glass.

* * *

a . n /  
he has gotten so brave during my time away ;~;


	10. whip

a/n; rushing, so not my best!~  
EDIT: Whoops! i screwed something up, but it's fixed now. (:

:**x**: _whip_

* * *

Tifa stared into the bowl with distaste.

Of all the days for her cooking abilities to fail her, it had to be today – Marlene's seventh birthday. She had wanted a type of cake named Baked Alaska, and Tifa knew better than to ask the little girl where she had heard about such a far-fetched, strange desert.

But as outlandish as the name made it sound, the real treat was nothing of the sort. It was a very basic recipe, and while she had successfully created the sponge cake to make up the structure, all that she needed to complete was the meringue.

Reaching over for the beater and switching it on only resulted in a spasm of sparks, smoke, and an electronic death. Resorting huffily to the whisk had only resulted in wimpy, very rarely used arm muscles. Tifa just knew she should have still been training through those lazy days.

And now, the creation coating the metal bowl was, in fact, not fluffy, uppity, or pristine white. In its place was a milky glop, weighed down by a cup of too much sugar.

She could have called Cloud – he was still out on those deliveries, and it wouldn't be much trouble for him to find an appliance store on all his various routes.

But by the time she would have arrived near the phone, if she would have gone up to retrieve the phone – since she was still, a bit angrily, spinning the whisk as fast as her arm would allow – the door to the bar opened, and in walked Cloud.

Which, of course, only created a huffier Tifa. Because, in all honesty, he wasn't supposed to get back so soon.

He made his way to the counter, a curious look on his face, letting his arm rest heavily on the countertop. He opened his mouth, then realized that he shouldn't say a word, and closed it instead.

Tifa concentrated on her bowl and whisk, and she didn't give him a glance.

Cloud slowly peered over, trying to put two and two together, from Tifa's facial features to the glinting, shining bowl. And, in retaliation, Tifa pulled back, cradling it and walking with deliberate pacing to the other side of the bar. In a hum, she finally broke the silence with casual restraint.

"You're back early, Cloud."

He watched her with caution. "Short trip to Reeve. Just needed to schedule some things."

She hummed one more time, whisking and whisking and whisking…

Cloud glanced at the clock above the mantle, and decided, right then, that maybe he needed a shower. Or just a short escape.

"Gonna take a shower," he said, gesturing while he walked.

She finally glanced up, her face in a little twist. "Alright. I might be gone when you're done. I have to pick Marlene and Denzel up today." She paused. "Because, you know, it's her birthday."

At that, Cloud gave a quiet grin. "Yeah. I've got the presents ready upstairs." A second more, and his footsteps vanished up the staircase. Tifa watched him, sighed in a forlorn way, and placed the bowl in the fridge.

She came to the mild conclusion that she would just bake Marlene cookies after dinner.

* * *

"Cloud!" Marlene squealed. Her and Denzel had taken up residence at the barstools, waiting for the inevitable (as many of their birthdays went like this), and looked up to see colorful boxes toppling over each other, stumbling on a pair of legs walking down the stairs.

They both rushed to take the presents from him, greedy hands clutched for grabbing, but Tifa, turning around to quell the hungry fingers, noticed the recipe list was missing. She remembered leaving it, perched up on the counter, staring at her with a certain _mock_.

She peered around suspiciously, until a gleam…a shine…

She opened the refrigerator.

And she smiled.


	11. oath

a/n; AH! I've been gone for an unforgivably long time. But I guess these kinds of things happen - I knew I had to post something before going back to school, anyways. Dunno if this matches the tone of any of the others but - I hope y'all enjoy it nonetheless.  
And I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and/or holidays, and an awesome New Year!

:**xi**: _oath_

* * *

There was something different about this year, in Edge. The obvious reason would be the rains – the death of a malefactor, three non-absolutes, a distant specter which was buried but never left. They had cleansed not just the one town, but it had cleansed the entire world. The darkest indents of the hills were only able to maintain a deep gray, and the monsters of the forests and the deserts refrained from slaughter for as long as they could, before they could not keep themselves from some form of sustenance.

Gaia had become less cutthroat, the knives duller. Clouds were still somber and fat with moisture, but the sun was just still as bright with yellow fusions.

But these were not the full spectrum. The main, obvious reason this year was unusual was only subjective toward the people as they saw it. Different lives hold different shades, and for certain people the rains were the background for greater things.

For Tifa, it had been the main thing for a long, long time. It saved Denzel, Cloud, and indirectly, Marlene. It saved her whole family, and it brought them back together. She did not believe there was more of a miracle to be created underneath any other circumstances.

But the world had turned, and at the end of the year, Edge held its first ever dropping of the ball. It seemed the whole town came to the center square, with a mechanism the WRO helped to make. It attached to the tip of the giant fountain, raised by multiple metal bars. It had carved in indentions in each of the bars' placement on the ball, for security and a smooth drop. The end would be at the tip of the limestone structure of the carving, now hidden by the contraption.

It was a strange, happy thing hanging above the town. It was a sign, a beacon of many variations for everyone who gazed up to it.

So when the night came and the hour of _new_ drew near, the excitement buzzed like electricity through every nerve and every pupil of everyone huddled around.

Around Tifa, Marlene and Denzel were beaming with their grins and eyes glittering with the stars. Barret was behind both of them, resting his real arm upon Marlene's petite shoulder. Red's flame burned with much more vivacity than she had seen it. Cid had brought Shera, and though it wasn't very surprising, there was something very affectionate about the notion.

Yuffie had been fidgeting near Vincent for half an hour, but as the ten second mark drew near, she took the initiative to clamber up onto his shoulders, whispering excitedly into his ear, "It's almost time Vince! The ball's starting to glow!"

Vincent had had a look of blank disregard up at the slowly glowing ball; his face betrayed not one of his hidden emotions. But as Yuffie climbed up onto his back and ripped his cape, trying to find a foothold and handhold, he grunted and had a sour look on his face. His mouth curled in such a way it would have been easy to believe it was an impatient sneer. On closer inspection, it resembled a smile.

Cloud stood beside her, as silent as ever. But it was a comfortable silence, a protective silence if there could be such a thing. He was close enough to her so she could feel his warmth, even through her jacket, and she thought she was complete right then. Something was so fulfilling, standing there amongst her companions, so tightly knit against the cold and the fountain.

And the beauty started at the countdown.

Ten.

They all looked up.

Nine.

People chanted, the excitement finally bursting through the arms and legs of all the people.

Eight.

Seven.

Six.

"Do you feel it, Vince?" she heard Yuffie say, and she realized her arms were tense.

Five.

She shook them, trying to loosen them, somehow. She took a deep breath through her nostrils.

Four.

She closed her eyes, and she tried to feel it overwhelm.

Three.

But it didn't.

Two.

She felt him take her hand. It was in a delicate manner, soft and slow. It took him two seconds, two whole seconds, of encompassing her hand fully.

One.

And it took Tifa a split second to look up at him. It was only to find he was gazing at her, and it seemed, the only person not gazing at the lit ball.

People hugged and screamed and the couples, as it always indelibly goes, kissed.

But they did not see it. Their silhouettes, entangled hands, the color of their eyes – the little things said it all.

And Tifa felt it.


End file.
